Islamabad(Parliament times):
The Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training, National Heritage and Culture met under the Chairpersonship of Senator Irfan-Ul-Haque Siddiqui to vet various agenda items here at the Parliament House on Thursday.Public Petition No. 4748 submitted by Mr Din Kalam Khan Wazir, regarding the transfer of female teachers from high-risk and remote areas to peaceful areas was discussed. The Ministry presented that after the 18th amendment the matter is provincial however the Minister for Education and Professional Training Rana Tanveer said that maximum support will be granted for the transfer as a matter of their right and Justice. Senator Irfan-ul –Haque Siddiqui ensured that the transfer of female teachers will be granted under the required procedure. Irfan-ul-Haque Siddiqui emphasised that teachers are the assets of our country and should be provided security and favourable circumstances for teaching. He ensured to personally pursue the matter and resolve the issue in a month.The committee deliberated on the issues being faced by Pakistani Students who have returned from Ukraine due to war. The HEC submitted that to holistically review the matter a joint meeting of the Ministry of Foreign affairs, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, HEC and PMC (Pakistan Medical Commission) would help in this regard. The HEC apprised that apparently, most of the students were enrolled in Ukrainian Medical Institutions; therefore the presence of PMC representatives will be crucial. HEC assured of all possible support in the matter. The Chairman Committee recommended that the matter should be treated as a special case and urged to make a way forward for the students to resume their studies in their home country.The matter of the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture on the process of appointment of the president and Vice- President, of Allama Iqbal Academy, Lahore was also taken up. The officials informed the committee that the matter for appointment of the Vice President was pending due to the proposed merger of the Aiwan-e-Iqbal complex with Iqbal Academy Pakistan. The ex-Minister for National Heritage and Culture Division had directed that the merger process should be completed first. Iqbal Academy Pakistan Bill 2021 was forwarded to the National Assembly secretariat, which is still pending there for voting. It was further apprised that Federal Cabinet is the competent forum to approve the nomination for the Vice President of the Governing Body. The ministry has requested to allow placing the summary before the Federal Cabinet for the nomination of principal and alternate candidates for the vacant position of the Vice President of GB, IAP out of the panel submitted. The Chairman Committee also proposed to expedite the matter. The Chairman Committee also urged the Allama Iqbal Academy Lahore to play a more active and robust role in the compilation and translation in different languages, the works of Allama Iqbal.The matter of the Tenure Track system (TTS) for the faculty members of the University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar was also presented by the Vice-Chancellor (UET) Peshawar. The HEC presented that the TTS standing committee is constituted. The committee is overseeing all TS-related issues and meetings are held regularly to review the status of TTS faculty members at various stages of their tenure. The HEC also apprised that upon receiving increased salary notification for TTS faculty members from HEC and have approved an increase in TTS salary w.e.f September 2021 in anticipation of approval of syndicate for the benefit of TTS faculty. It was further informed that HEC has handed over the endorsement to universities, and it will resolve the delay. The Chairman Committee raised questions on the number of advance increments to be given. The vice chancellor said that there are four advance increments each amounting to three hundred eighty-four thousand rupees.
The chairman committee said that it is not a big amount and lamented that the university as well as the HEC should have dispatched the money to the deserved. The Minister also endorsed that the amount should be granted to the deserved persons.The Meeting was attended by Senators Fawzia Arshad, Falak Naz, Jam Mahtab Hussain Dahar, and Engr. Rukhsana Zuberi, Rana Maqbool Ahmad and Senator Molvi Faiz Muhammad. Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Rana Tanveer along with other senior officers of the attached departments were also in attendance.
